The casting of veteran action maestro Jackie Chan with the charming and often hilarious Chris Tucker was a serendipitous stroke of genius. Fans of Jackie Chan may be slightly disappointed by the lack of action set-pieces that emphasise his kung-fu craft. On the other hand, those who know the history of this seasoned Hong Kong actor will be able to appreciate that Rush Hour was the mainstream breakthrough that Chan had deserved for years. Coupled with the charismatic scene-stealer Tucker, Chan gets to flex his comic muscles to great effect. From their first scenes together to the trademark Chan outtakes during the end credits, their ability to play off of one another is a joy to behold, and this mischievous interaction is what saves the film from slipping into the depths of pitiful mediocrity. -Jeremy Storey After years pleasing fans on his home turf, Jackie Chan finally broke into American multiplexes with the 1998 hit Rush Hour. In one of many tips of his hat acknowledging the late great Bruce, Chan plays Hong Kong-based Detective Inspector Lee who finds himself on the streets of LA assisted by motor-mouthed Detective Carter (Chris Tucker). The baddy's identity, his motive and exactly how the good guys will win in the end is all rather secondary to seeing lots of goons dispatched by increasingly flamboyant and jaw-dropping stunts. The inevitable showdown with nasty henchman Sang fulfils all Chan fans' expectations nicely. What genuinely made this an international success was the pairing of Chan with Tucker, who won Blockbuster Entertainment and MTV Movie awards for Best On-screen Duo. On the DVD: After a flawless anamorphic 16:9 presentation with a choice of 5. 1 or 2. 0 Stereo, the extras package is generous to say the least. Animated menus with excerpts from Lalo Schifrin's superb score link to the usual fare: trailer, cast and crew biographies in scrolling text, two music videos for Heavy D's "Nuttin But Love" and Dru Hill's "How Deep is Your Love", and six deleted scenes totalling three minutes. Additionally there's a highly enthusiastic commentary from director Brett Ratner and a very peculiar 40-minute short from Ratner's NYU Film School days (funded by Steven Spielberg) called Whatever Happened To Mason Reese. The real jewel is the documentary "A Piece of the Action" consisting of 17 featurettes and totalling 40 minutes. It includes a fascinating 10- minute segment of Chan choreographing a fight scene from scratch and some hilarious outtakes not already featured in the end titles. -Paul Tonks.

Through it all, Brooks seems to be lamenting a decline in professionalism much deeper than his story. He's decrying Hollywood and the society at large, anticipating Peckinpah's later strategy. -Bill Desowitz.

Shaun is a loser, stuck in a dead-end job and held back by his slacker pal Ed. Girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield) is exasperated by his lack of ambition and unceremoniously dumps him. As a result, Shaun misses out on what is apparently the end of the world. In a series of beautifully choreographed and edited scenes, including hilarious tracking shots to and from the local shop, he spectacularly fails to notice the death toll and subsequent zombie plague. Only when one appears in their back garden do Shaun and Ed take notice, hurling sundry kitchen appliances at the undead before breaking out the cricket bat. The catastrophe proves to be the catalyst for Shaun to take charge of his life, sort out his relations with his dotty mum (Penelope Wilton) and distant stepdad (Bill Nighy), and fight to win back his ex-girlfriend. Lucy Davis from The Office and Dylan Moran of Black Books fame head the excellent supporting cast. -Mark Walker.

Perhaps he was touched by an angel? -Jeff Shannon.

This is just part one of a story that spans two sequels, with the final film of the trilogy, The Matrix Revolutions, required to tie up the story and sort out a great deal of plot complexity.

On the surface it's good eye candy with some fine pulse-quickening moments, and Banderas and the accompanying cast turn in sympathetic performances, epitomising camaraderie in the face of impending doom. However, if you're looking for a good thematic tale from the Dark Ages (akin to Braveheart), you may be disappointed. -Jeremy Storey.

And while the film itself isn't without a couple of problems, the end result is still well worth watching. -Simon Brew.